Paper Positions Frankfurt

Time & Place

Description

Sakhile&Me is excited to present a selection of silk-thread sculptures on wooden boards and textured ink drawings by Marrakech-based artist Ghizlane Sahli and self-portrait photographs by South African visual activists Zanele Muholi and Lindeka Qampi at Paper Positions Frankfurt, from 5-8 September 2019.

Ghizlane Sahli's art practice is deeply inspired by her background in architecture, embroidery and her interest in environmental sustainability. The artist creates cellular-form ink drawings with light but detailed embroidery patterns and sculptures made from silk-wrapped bottle tops, which she refers to as "the Alveoles." Sahli studied architecture at the École d'Architecture de Paris-Tolbiac and the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris-Belleville and upon returning to her home country founded an embroidery workshop with local artisan women in Marrakech. In 2012, she co-founded the artist collective Zbel Manifesto that dedicates its practice primarily to working with waste and repurposed materials. Sahli has had exhibitions in London, Marrakesh, Milan and Paris.

Prof. Zanele Muholi is a visual activist who tackles issues of race, gender and self-representation. Her current high-contrast black and white self-portrait photographs form part of the award-winning "Somnyama Ngonyama" series, in which Muholi aims to take 365 self-portraits to represent each day of the year that they live as a black person. In 2002, Muholi co-founded the Forum for Empowerment of Women (FEW) doing advocacy work through photography and building an archive of testimonials for and with the LGBTQI community. In 2009, Muholi was awarded their Master of Fine Arts degree from Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada and founded the INKANYISO collective. Muholi has since exhibited at institutions such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Brooklyn Museum, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town. Their work is currently on view in the Central Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

Lindeka Qampi's color self-portraits address the deeply personal and yet universal topic of sexual violence. Qampi approaches the topic from an insider's perspective, using photography to share her personal pain and loss but also to speak up and encourage others to do the same in order to begin the process of healing. Qampi started doing photography in 2006 at the photographers' collective Iliso Labantu ("the eye of the people"), spending the first decade of her photography career focusing on daily township life. Her work is part of the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the University of Cape Town. Her awards include the Mbokodo Award (2015) in the category "Creative Photographer" and the Brave Award (2016) with Muholi, acknowledging their outreach work.

Artists

Ghizlane Sahli

Ghizlane Sahli is a self-taught artist living in Marrakech who co-founded the artist collective Zbel Manifesto. She creates intricate cellular-form ink drawings and enchanting silk-thread sculptures made from used bottles covered with silk thread and inspired by her interest in architecture, embroidery and environmental sustainability. More...

Zanele Muholi

Prof. Zanele Muholi is a photographer and visual activist whose work primarily deals with race, gender and the importance of self-representation. Muholi puts a particular focus on portraiture and using photography to archive, raise awareness and champion human rights, actively denouncing homophobia, racism and gender-based violence.

Lindeka Qampi

Lindeka Qampi is a photographer and human rights advocate whose work at Sakhile&Me addresses gender based violence and advocates for fellow survivors, particularly young girls who may not yet have the courage to speak out. Qampi uses self-portraiture to confront, raise awareness and administer self-healing through photography.